COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 17 points, Alaina Coates had 14 points and 10 rebounds and No. 1 South Carolina routed Alabama for the second time this month in a 85-54 victory Thursday night.
The Gamecocks (20-0, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) shook off a sluggish first half to roll past the Crimson Tide. On Jan. 8, South Carolina won at Alabama 102-59.
While this one didn’t get as out of hand, the Gamecocks showed once again why they’ve been on top of the rankings for the past 10 weeks.
Wilson, the 6-foot-5 freshman, scored seven points in a 19-3 first-half run as South Carolina moved in front for good.
Coates put up her SEC-leading ninth double-double this season and added five blocks. Leading scorer Tiffany Mitchell was the Gamecocks’ third double-figure scorer with 11 points.
Karyla Middlebrook had 11 points to lead Alabama. Leading scorer Ashley Williams fouled out with eight points.
South Carolina was coming off a dominating, 79-61 victory over No. 12 Texas A&M on Monday night. That win, combined with a 102-59 blowout at Alabama three weeks ago, seemed the perfect recipe for a letdown. And while the first half was far from perfection, the Gamecocks managed to build a sizeable lead.
Alabama led 8-6 on Middlebrook’s basket four minutes in before South Carolina took off on a 19-3 run to gain control.
Wilson had seven points in the stretch, which put the Gamecocks ahead 25-11 with 10:01 to play in the period.
Still, South Carolina was not crisp. Mitchell made just one of four shots and spent much of the half on the bench with two fouls. Wilson, the 6-foot-5 freshman, also picked up two fouls in her five minutes of action in the half.
Alabama did show a measure of improvement as Hannah Cook’s 3-pointer in the final minute cut the lead to 38-21 at the break. The Crimson Tide trailed by 18, 48-30, in their last loss to South Carolina.
The Gamecocks’ perfect season and No. 1 ranking will be tested the next 11 days with a three-game road trip at Ole Miss on Sunday, at Georgia on Feb. 5 and at No. 2 Connecticut on Feb. 9.
TIP INS
Alabama: The Crimson Tide played without backup guard and Baylor transfer Breanna Hayden, who’s serving the second game of a two-game suspension for a fight in the Auburn win.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have averaged 11,844 fans their first nine games, an increase of more than 5,000 from their average attendance a year ago.
UP NEXT
Alabama returns home to face Arkansas on Sunday.
South Carolina travels to play Mississippi on Sunday.
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